Lecture Seven

Public Media is owned by the common people. These outlets do not have to answer to sponsors or meet ratings quotas, and are completely free to report on any issue provided they abide by AJA ethics. This freedom allows for stations to cover the interests of niche markets from international politics and science to religious programming and historical investigations. 


In the lecture, Bruce talked about how it is sometimes criticised for being dull and out-of-touch however I don't think that analysis by the public is entirely fair. Not all news is actually exciting or, dare I say, entertaining. If the ABC or SBS did not report on certain political stories, scientific developments, commerce and other 'dreary' subjects, then who would? Though the general public may not necessarily be interested in every niche in society, the information still needs to be available to those who seek it. Public Media also plays a very important role in rural areas. Both in ensuring that they receive coverage of important events, but also reporting on local issues in these remote areas. 


Although the majority of American TV sitcoms, dramas and our own reality shows are aired by commercial stations, ABC and SBS are also a valuable source of dramas. Sometimes the programs they run become so popular that the rights are purchased by commercial stations such as ABC's Kath & Kim or Top Gear on SBS (via the BBC). More importantly, they always broadcast the more eclectic television ventures (i.e anything Noel Fielding makes) which quite frankly, are far more exciting than Australia's Next Top Model.

Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy ABC2

I think it is admirable that there are enough journalists at the ABC who have had the vision, and are brave enough to set up a 24hour news station with no additional funding. Today news is available almost instantly online, and although ABC 24 is not without production issues, they are always ready and able to cross live to any major news event without the restriction of program schedules or print delays. 

ABC News 24 Launch

Compared to the general public, I have rather alternate tastes. I'm very interested in politics which is an area that ABC caters for far better than any other station. I also listen to a lot of Triple J Radio, the role that they play in the Australian music scene is great. No other station has the support base for new, unsigned artists especially with the recent launch of the Unearthed digital radio station. 

Triple J Unearthed

Part of the reason I love ABC is because they broadcast so many of the BBC dramas that I have spent many happy hours on the couch watching. None more so than Dr Who! 

Dr Who Marathon ABC2

This year the ABC is celebrating 80 years of broadcasting, they have put together 80 audio-visual bytes from their archives of moments that changed Australia. 

80 Years of ABC